Environment & Sustainability

Do you know who is the most competent solar power expert, according to a research team from Tel Aviv University? It is the humble common Oriental hornet found in our gardens! Much to the astonishment of the scientists and researchers, the hornet utilizes solar power much like a plant and it produces electricity. Think how much easier it would be if only we could unravel how the hornet manages it. This discovery could revolutionize future solar power harvesting. View Comments

New York City's Brooklyn Bridge Park is getting even greener with the addition of a solar powered electric vehicle (EV) charging station – the first of its kind in New York City. Brooklyn Bridge Park has already added a number of green areas with lush grass, making it a great spot for both locals and tourists to enjoy the fabulous view of Manhattan and this EV charging station is the latest and unique green energy addition. The station will likely reduce the carbon emission inside the park to a great extent. View Comments

PepsiCo is one of the leading food and beverage businesses in the world. Since 2010, it has been focusing on protecting the earth's natural energy resources with competent use of soil, water, power and finding and focusing on innovative ways to do so. Recently PepsiCo developed the world's first plastic bottle made entirely from renewable and plant-sourced raw materials. This, in contrast to the traditional PET bottle leaves less carbon trace on our planet. View Comments

Vietnam is setting an example in setting up a stunning green center with the ongoing project called South Saigon Yacht Park. Right in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City, the state capital, plans are afoot to create a green oasis to spread the message of green revolution across the country. This Yacht Park is the first step towards making a glass-concrete jungle to an eco friendly city and to bring back the old world charm of harmony between people and nature. View Comments

Yes, as of 2011, The Empire State Building, one of the world's largest buildings has achieved the distinction of becoming the largest buyer of green renewable wind power. The Empire State Building will be using more than 100 million kWh of wind energy in the coming couple of years approximately. It will be totally - 100% - wind-powered from now on! This is not the only feather in the lofty Empire State Building's green cap. Already the tall building has executed the refurbishment of fitting of all its - some 6500 or so - windows with a unique type of insulating glass for power savings. Some $13.2 million very well spent in boosting the green credentials. View Comments

High-rise buildings and skyscrapers have been the most favored architectural solutions for highly populated cities. It is a commendable idea for combining height - growing more vertically - and for its small footprint without hogging precious soil which is at a premium in most cities. But sporadic eruptions of skyscrapers do not add to the beauty of the skyline of any city nor does it add any way to the locale topographical charm. The solution seems to be structures that solve housing problem for the populace without spoiling the beauty of the city. View Comments

Cleaning oil spills can be costly business. If eco-friendly robots can take over and clean all the mess it will be good for marine life and humans too. MIT is developing Seaswarm robots that will utilize a special substance to absorb and collect oil from the sea surface. If everything turns out well, these robots can be used commercially in a year. These robots work best collectively. They can detect the oil spills on their own and then convey the message to their robotic group and chalk out a strategy among themselves to clean the mess. View Comments

Nevada is poised to lead in producing energy from geothermal heat sources in the entire US. Presently playing second fiddle to California, the day is not far off when it will overtake California in converting geothermal heat into electricity. Nevada is experiencing a rush of developers who have already companies producing power or with projects under development. Projects by people like Enel Green Power and Nevada Geothermal Power are fast putting the state on the road. Veterans and newbie's vie with each other to start production. View Comments

In strict adherence to guidelines released by the Department of Energy, the United States Postal Service gets on a fast track to reach the goal for energy reduction. Green roofs, green buildings and an optimally efficient management system of energy consumption form part of the energy-reduction strategy. View Comments

Really amazing are the innovative ways solar power is put into use. Now a team of scientists working in Sandia National Laboratories is focusing on exploring basic steps to make synthetic liquid fuel with the help of solar panels. The goal is that this will help considerably reduce carbon dioxide emissions. View Comments

Solar panels are gaining more recognition as key ingredients to produce eco-friendly and renewable source of energy. With growing need for more energy, there will be in future, a plethora of solar panels all over the world. Now this has become a source of eco-conservative concern, according to Mr. Bruce Robertson, Research Associate, from Kellogg Biological Station, Michigan State University. View Comments

Pushker Kharecha and his colleagues believe that we should follow some practical methods to do away with coal and conventional fossil fuel emissions. We all know that use of fossil fuels leads towards carbon emissions that cause immense damage to our environment. Pushker Kharecha and colleagues voiced similar sentiments in the American Chemical Society's semi-monthly journal Environmental Science and Technology (ES and T). View Comments

Solar panels need silicon for absorption of light. Silicon doesn't come cheap.This cost-factor is preventing people from using solar energy on a large scale. Scientists utilize another substance i.e. ruthenium for solar cells. Rutheniumcan is cheaper than silicon but ruthenium is a rare metal on Earth. It is as rare as platinum. Naturally it can't be available for mass production. Compared to silicon, carbon is cheap and abundant. The graphene, another form of carbon, is capable of absorbing a wide range of light frequencies. View Comments

When we talk about the Middle East Asia, we imagine harsh terrain, blazing sun and sand dunes. Abu Dhabi is a part of the United Arab Emirates. Its currently hostile area is being developed as the world's first carbon neutral city in the coming 5 to 10 years. This city will be a green example that will not be constructed using polluting technologies and fossil fuels. The greatest irony is this city would be located in a country that is a leading producer of fossil fuels. Its architects and designers claim that the city will be powered up by various forms of renewable energy, including solar and wind power. View Comments

If a car is running smoothly on the road and its consuming carbon dioxide from air as fuel instead of petrol, what a dream world that would be. Researchers from the South West are working on a £1.4 million project to turn the above dream into a reality. This car of future will consume one of the root causes of greenhouse effect. What a greener world that would be. Scientists and engineers from many universities will combine their efforts to produce that dream car running on carbon dioxide. The University of Bath is leading the research. They are joined by the University of the West of England and members from the University of Bristol. View Comments

Scientists are quite optimistic that hydrogen will emerge as the fuel of the future and the world would be driven by 'hydrogen economy'. The only byproduct of hydrogen fuel is water vapor. By using hydrogen fuel we can reduce the harmful effects of greenhouse gases. Currently many research labs are engaged in duplicating the phenomenon of photosynthesis to produce hydrogen fuel. What fascinates the scientists is the splitting of water into hydrogen and oxygen by using solar energy. A vast majority of scientists all over the world believe that we can get rid of our dependence on fossil fuels by breaking water into its components. Even some automobile companies such as Toyota are promoting hydrogen fueled cars. But till now the use of hydrogen as fuel is not cost effective. That is why we are still waiting for the 'hydrogen economy' to arrive. View Comments

Since time immemorial human beings are trying to use solar energy for their survival and day to day use. We know that green plants create their own food and energy with the help of photosynthesis. Photosynthesis happens in the presence of sunlight, water and carbon dioxide. The end results are food, chemical energy and release of oxygen gas. Whenever scientists tried to harness the solar energy they were quite unsuccessful in utilizing a major part of solar power. The conversation rate of solar energy into electrical energy is quite inefficient. Now engineering researchers at the University of Cincinnati are trying to overcome this problem. View Comments

We all are familiar with the effects of carbon dioxide on our environment. Carbon dioxide is responsible for causing the greenhouse effect. If scientists can breakdown this gas into other form it would lead us to reduce the concentration of this gas into environment substantially. It would mean dealing with the root cause of the problem. Now scientists are trying out to get hold of an organism which could help in the breakdown of carbon dioxide. View Comments

These days the world is looking at Copenhagen Summit, its agenda and how much carbon footprint it is generating. At the same time the most climate-friendly childcare center in Denmark is being established in Hørsholm. Hørsholm is situated in the north of Copenhagen. This childcare center will be opened in November 2010. The nursery, has been commissioned by Hørsholm Council in cooperation with VKR Holding. This childcare center is designed by Christensen & Co. Architects. This center will boast of state-of-the-art facilities and will generate more energy than it consumes. View Comments

Stephens-Romero is a UC Irvine doctoral candidate in the Advanced Power & Energy Program. His 2060 analysis was published online recently in Environmental Science & Technology. Stephens-Romero is painting the picture of future for our benefit, "For the first time, we can look at these future fuel scenarios and say how they're going to impact things like ozone and particulate matter, which have severe effects on people's lungs and quality of life." View Comments